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Limiting Factor
Dec 19, 2006

well dammit

Benny the Snake posted:

I've noticed that I wax poetic when I'm stewing. Maybe I oughta look into poetry whenever I'm in a mood like this.

I'd say don't quit the day job, but you don't have a day job. Don't even start thinking pointless crap like this. You're distracting yourself from the things you actually should be working on. Forget poetry for a minimum of fifteen years.

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docbeard
Jul 19, 2011

Benny the Snake posted:

It's very tempting for me to give up. To accept that I'm doomed to be unemployed for the rest of my life. To accept that I'll have to play fireman for this family every time someone sets a fire. To accept my toxic environment and let the venomous hate I have for my family consume me. But you know what? I'm better than that. I have ambitions. I have goals. I have a life. I want better for myself. I'm going to climb out of this pit. I'm going to escape out of this burning building. I'm going to absorb every ounce of poo poo and bile I have for my family and my situation in my roots and one day it'll bloom into something beautiful.

It may not be great poetry, but it's a fine sentiment. Hang in there, man. You're in a poo poo situation, and no mistake, but it's one that people can and do get through, and you can do it.

AcidRonin
Apr 2, 2012

iM A ROOKiE RiGHT NOW BUT i PROMiSE YOU EVERY SiNGLE FUCKiN BiTCH ASS ARTiST WHO TRiES TO SHADE ME i WiLL VERBALLY DiSMANTLE YOUR ASSHOLE

Limiting Factor posted:

I'd say don't quit the day job, but you don't have a day job. Don't even start thinking pointless crap like this. You're distracting yourself from the things you actually should be working on. Forget poetry for a minimum of fifteen years.

Fun fact, you can actually have hobbies and a day job. If you like poetry write poetry, just dont get it into your head it will pay the rent. Maybey someday but not right now. Write poems/play guitar/whatever and get a job. gently caress these people saying you cant decide to express yoruself and get a day job at the same time.

GidgetNomates
May 6, 2010

I love this hobby:
stealing your mother's diary
I don't think he was saying that he was going to be a full time poet. If you suddenly feel inspired to write a poem go for it, it's better than reading comics or whatever and you have to take some amount of time to unwind anyway. Just don't forget that you have other things you have to get done as well.

Shark Attack!
Nov 2, 2006
__/\_____\o/___
Don't just go into places that are hiring. Go everywhere. Ask "Hi are you hiring?" politely and with a big smile. "Can I speak with the manager or the owner?" If you speak with them, tell they you are looking for work. Look clean and tidy and not desperate. Let them know what you have to offer. Ask them for their name or even a card. Make them a contact and call them back. Someone mentioned LinkedIn - do this. If they don't have anything right now ask them if they know anyone that does. A lot of business owners would love to point an assertive and enthusiastic person in the right direction. Don't give up!

Can you describe your top points in a little thirty-second mini speech? You should be able to. Known in sales circles as "an elevator pitch", but this one sells you.

Also don't look for bullshit interview answers. Be honest, most people are a lot more convincing when they are being honest. And for god's sakes don't bring up personal issues.

e: Oh I wanted to add - by far, your absolute biggest problem (besides the whining) is the fact that you are one of 93 applicants for a lovely job. One of 40+ with a degree! That is your problem. gently caress your brother and your parents and all that bullshit, who cares? You have one of three options, as I see it:

1. Leave town and go somewhere that sucks less. This would require another relative to freeload from, so is probably not a good option.
2. Start hunting for jobs where the other 93 people aren't looking, as I mentioned before. Find a company with a problem that your english degree and/or expertise can help fix.
3. Start your own company. Lawncare, cleaning service, tutoring, anything. At least you know that if it takes off there are tons of potential employees out there.

Shark Attack! fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Mar 14, 2013

Stealthgerbil
Dec 16, 2004


Most places that are hiring won't have a sign because they don't want everyone coming in. They want people who are serious enough to inquire. It sounds like you are doing things the right way. Just make sure to have a lot of confidence during the interview. Most jobs are easy and you should have no problem with them.

But really don't give up on finding a job, your life doesn't sound that lovely. poo poo, if you are good at writing, have you ever thought of making blogs about stuff and putting google adsense ads on it? Theres a thread about it. Its something you could do on your free time. I could hook you up with free webhosting if you need it :)

Benny the Snake
Apr 11, 2012

GUM CHEWING INTENSIFIES
Well I just got back from the job fair. There were only a handful of booths and most of it was insurance. So while browsing I decided to focus only on the insurance conpany that I was positive was right down the street from me. I dropped off one resume and I'm planning on dropping off an application I filled out over there at a local sporting goods store. Interestingly enough, I went with a friend from the internship and the two of us actually networked with a couple of other people present who were interested in establishing a non-profit. Which was neat.

Also I stepped into the old campaign office and talked to Jon the campaign director. I'll be receiving my letter of recommendation soon. On top of that he gave me some interesting advice. Go to one of the other two campaigns that's in the runoff and offer my services (neigborhood canvasing, data entry, phone banking, intern corralling, etc.) for pay. Since I have previous experience and two people I can use as great references (Jon and my former candidate), I feel confident that I might be able to pull this off.

My big plan is on Monday to pound the pavement and run up and down the busiest street in town to fill out applications and drop off resumes. I'm going to every and any place that's open and ask for a drat application. Since I don't have an internship, I'll treat job hunting as my main job. I've got nothing to lose and hopefully I'll be able to find something. Besides it's going to be a beautfiul

Benny the Snake fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Mar 14, 2013

Lowly
Aug 13, 2009

Benny the Snake posted:

Also I stepped into the old campaign office and talked to Jon the campaign director. I'll be receiving my letter of recommendation soon. On top of that he gave me some interesting advice. Go to one of the other two campaigns that's in the runoff and offer my services (neigborhood canvasing, data entry, phone banking, intern corralling, etc.) for pay. Since I have previous experience and two people I can use as great references (Jon and my former candidate), I feel confident that I might be able to pull this off.

My big plan is on Monday to pound the pavement and run up and down the busiest street in town to fill out applications and drop off resumes. I'm going to every and any place that's open and ask for a drat application. Since I don't have an internship, I'll treat job hunting as my main job. I've got nothing to lose and hopefully I'll be able to find something. Besides it's going to be a beautfiul

Definitely do this. We're in a time right now where a job is not going to come find you, you'll have to find a job. Your attitude is good, though and if you're willing to put in the time and work and put yourself out there, you will find a job eventually. The fact that you are willing to go out and network is a real plus. I think a lot of people have a hard time because they are willing to look online or sign up for job agencies but they aren't outgoing enough to really go out and do face-to-face networking. If no one in your friend/family circle is able to help, then this is your best bet for finding something.

APOLLO OHNO-UDIDNT
Jul 22, 2005

you can prob fix that with a little duct tape and a paper clip

*is MacGyver irl*
Why don't you check out the American camping association website and find a camp job for the spring/summer. They pay for food and housing plus a small salary. There are even some year round jobs available. I used to lead backpacking trips and work at summer camps right after I moved from my parents house and it was a good stepping stone for me.

Senator Sprinkles
Aug 16, 2008

ClemenSalad posted:

Have you ever thought about working in a hospital in your area? Not something you would think about first for lower end jobs but they need TONS of clerks, couriers, patient transport etc. Hospitals are almost always hiring. For example, my hospital has 584 job listings and tons of them are right up your alley.


Benny the Snake posted:

Well there's a hospital up the street and I have an aunt who works there as a nurse.

Did you talk to your aunt about hospital jobs yet? If you can't/don't get in touch with her, feel free to stroll right up to the receptionist or information desk at the hospital and ask for any information about departments that might be hiring. There are almost definitely openings that to my knowledge don't require a degree or license or whatever, like housekeeping, food service, patient transport, materials, etc. I completely agree with ClemenSalad -- Hospitals are HUGE entities, often with literally thousands of employees, and can have some pretty fast turnover in these departments. If this particular hospital isn't hiring, try another. Again, you should definitely talk to your aunt about any departments at the hospital that might be hiring, and she could even be a potential "internal" reference for them to use if they're interested in you.

Obviously you're looking for someplace to hire you pretty quickly, but for the slightly-longer term you may also look into "licensed" jobs such as pharmacy/lab/ER technician. The licenses may take a few months to a year (or more) to land depending on the type, but the jobs they can yield are definitely more glorified and comfortable than cleaning/food service. See what your aunt or the receptionist says and do a little research. I for one got my pharmacy tech license after getting a useless Music Education degree and got hired in a hospital pharmacy pretty quickly, with no experience. I didn't take any kind of class or preparatory work; I just bought the technician training book and some practice tests and took the exam; had my license in a few months. It wasn't hard, and you seem pretty capable of it.

Your situation sounds pretty drat rough, so hats off to you for keeping your chin up through it. Here's hoping! :)

toby
Dec 4, 2002

How about the Peace Corps.

Benny the Snake
Apr 11, 2012

GUM CHEWING INTENSIFIES

toby posted:

How about the Peace Corps.
I'd rather have immediate employment and income, so for now I'm going to avoid volunteering for anything like Peace Corps. This includes AmeriCorps, National Core, and the military. All of those are my "In case of emergency" plan.

toby
Dec 4, 2002

That's fine, it's not for everyone. But just out of curiosity, what exactly constitutes an "emergency," if it is not your dire-rear end, hosed-up living situation and family combined with trouble finding a job?

Sigma-X
Jun 17, 2005

toby posted:

How about the Peace Corps.

Yeah how about spending the better part of a year gearing up to go spend 27 months abroad when you've demonstrated an immediate need to leave your family and launch a career.

Peace Corps is awesome, but it isn't something you do on a whim to get out of a bad place in life.

OP I want to root for you but you post an awful lot about things you're going to do and not a lot about things you actually do - are you following through appropriately? Are you interviewing places or never even making it that far? Did you learn the lesson about not trying to pass off whining about your family as a weakness?

toby
Dec 4, 2002

Sigma-X posted:

Yeah how about spending the better part of a year gearing up to go spend 27 months abroad when you've demonstrated an immediate need to leave your family and launch a career.

Peace Corps is awesome, but it isn't something you do on a whim to get out of a bad place in life.

Again, that's fine. Maybe not the right thing for this case. Whatever. The idea is more that this is, in fact, kind of an "emergency" and maybe I was also suggesting that he find a job that moves him thousands of miles away from wherever he is right now...

PurePerfection
Nov 28, 2007

Shark Attack! posted:

3. Start your own company. Lawncare, cleaning service, tutoring, anything. At least you know that if it takes off there are tons of potential employees out there.

This point hasn't gotten enough attention. If signing up for freelancing agencies isn't yielding many assignments, go out on your own and see if there is a market in your community. If you advertise tutoring services through Craigslist or Facebook or just by word of mouth, there's almost no cost associated with getting started. If you've been phone banking and canvassing neighborhoods for a political campaign, surely you're capable of doing some self-promotion. It sounds like you have a lot of family nearby beyond the members of your household - I'm sure some of them have kids or know people with kids who'd be interested in tutoring.

It may also help to contact local schools directly and see if they would be willing to refer parents to you, or to get permission to hang some professional-looking fliers in nearby churches and community centers. If you're more comfortable working with teenagers/older students, PSAT/SAT/ACT tutoring might be an option, too. I worked as a freelance SAT tutor for a few months between my college graduation and the start date for the full-time job I'd accepted, and the only prerequisite anyone looked for was that I'd done well on my own SATs. "Well" is a vague term, but the general expectation seemed to be 700+ in whichever section(s) of the exam you would be covering. The same group might also be looking for help with college applications, essays and personal statements, etc. If you have an English degree you're probably qualified to consult on this stuff, too.

The best part is that you can set your own hours and decide how many clients you want to take on, so if one of these other jobs comes through, you can do both. Don't stop applying for other positions, either.

Sigma-X
Jun 17, 2005

toby posted:

Again, that's fine. Maybe not the right thing for this case. Whatever. The idea is more that this is, in fact, kind of an "emergency" and maybe I was also suggesting that he find a job that moves him thousands of miles away from wherever he is right now...

You weren't suggesting that, though, you were suggesting the Peace Corps, which isn't just a long distance job. It's a tremendous obligation that requires a long lead-up of community service and pays terribly (while cost of living is largely covered, he would not be able to send any money home to help the family), while assigning you to places where you need to integrate with a local culture without a guarantee of things like electricity or running water (and OP can't even handle keeping the peace with his religious mom and dad). The only career advantage it offers at the end is that you get fast-tracked to the top of the pile for any government job.

My brother is shipping off in a couple of months for it, and if he wasn't so genuinely enamored with a life mission of helping people and bettering the world (which the OP isn't), he wouldn't be following through. Peace Corps is the opposite of an emergency lifeline - it's for people with blindingly idealistic goals to commit themselves to for a long period of time.

I agree he should be looking for a job outside of 15 minutes from home, but the Peace Corps is not that at all. Enlisting the the Army would be more in-line, as the whole process is pretty quick and you start getting paid quickly, and at wages in-line with living in the US, instead of some subsistence-farming village. If the OP is truly in an emergency situation, enlisting will solve all of that.

But I don't believe the OP is really in an emergency situation, because he seems to gently caress around a lot and seems really comfortable with the amount of "woe-is-me" his current living conditions afford.

I cannot loving believe that the OP thinks it will be useful to canvas the businesses next door to beg for jobs but only applies to a single job at the job fair he went to, because it was close by.

Sigma-X fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Mar 15, 2013

ClemenSalad
Oct 25, 2012

by Lowtax
I think he thinks sending out one or two apps every few days (from what I'm seeing from his posts) is a lot. Also the Peace Corps is a really bad idea.

reflex
Aug 9, 2009

I'd rather laugh with the mudders than cry with the saints. The mudders are much more fun. Hoorah.

Sigma-X posted:

I cannot loving believe that the OP thinks it will be useful to canvas the businesses next door to beg for jobs but only applies to a single job at the job fair he went to, because it was close by.

I was just thinking the same thing.

Also OP, please tell me you are inserting grammar errors in nearly every one of your posts for satire. :allears:

toby
Dec 4, 2002

Join the circus.

ClemenSalad
Oct 25, 2012

by Lowtax

toby posted:

Join the circus.

I hear there is money in crime as well.

toby
Dec 4, 2002

Become a traveling Amway salesman.

Benny the Snake
Apr 11, 2012

GUM CHEWING INTENSIFIES
Alright so I have a lot of explaining to do. I try to follow up as much as possible to jobs that I apply to, especially the ones I feel really confident of getting. Yesterday I went back to the Round Table Pizza I applied to and talked to the manager who told me there's nothing there right now. I also do phone calls as well once a week until I get a straight answer. In fact, I finally got through with the Starbucks manager who told me she was hiring and she told me she decided not to. Above all else, I try not to impose. I only drop in or call maybe once a week to talk to the hiring manager.

On another note, I finally got back from the police department: they turned me down because they found somebody more experienced than me. My aunt told me that several people in-house applied so that's no surprise.

As for why I only applied to one booth over at the job fair it's because, well, I know I'm not fit to sell insurance. Selling insurance to me is a lot like selling used cars as I'd be working on a commission to sell people what they can't afford. I'm too honest to do so. Now granted I just ended a stint stumping for a candidate, but I was confident in him as a person and voting for someone in a local election is a smaller consequence than say buying an insurance policy that doesn't cover them much. I just got an e-mail from my school-there's going to be a job fair next week. I feel more confident going to a campus job fair as there's going to be a more diverse selection. I've been to a couple of fairs on campus before so I know what to expect.

And I refer to Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, National Core, and the military as a "last resort" as I don't want to make that kind of long-term commitment right now. I would have to travel far and do all sorts of tasks either for meager pay or for no pay at all. What I want to do now is to work towards financial stability. So I'd much rather now work at a McDonald's part-time while applying elsewhere and save the former opportunities in case I've exhausted all options. I don't want to run away-I want to find employment to be able to become more independent and leave my family on good terms.

I'll get back to you guys after Monday.

Shark Attack!
Nov 2, 2006
__/\_____\o/___
I hear kidneys sell for a lot.

razorrozar
Feb 21, 2012

by Cyrano4747

Benny the Snake posted:

Selling insurance to me is a lot like selling used cars as I'd be working on a commission to sell people what they can't afford. I'm too honest to do so.

This is a fair point, but if someone offered me a job selling insurance (or used cars for that matter) I'd snap it up in a second, because it's still a job. Principles are all well and good but your well-being is more important, and a soul-crushing job is still better than no job. Besides, at the very least you could use it as a stepping stone to a better job.

Morby
Sep 6, 2007

razorrozar posted:

This is a fair point, but if someone offered me a job selling insurance (or used cars for that matter) I'd snap it up in a second, because it's still a job. Principles are all well and good but your well-being is more important, and a soul-crushing job is still better than no job. Besides, at the very least you could use it as a stepping stone to a better job.

One of the things you have to worry about with those insurance "jobs" is that a lot of times they're scams, anyway. With the OP's luck, I'm sure it was Primerica or some other known fake insurance "company".

Benny the Snake
Apr 11, 2012

GUM CHEWING INTENSIFIES

Morby posted:

One of the things you have to worry about with those insurance "jobs" is that a lot of times they're scams, anyway. With the OP's luck, I'm sure it was Primerica or some other known fake insurance "company".
No it was Farmer's. There's an office down the street from me.

docbeard
Jul 19, 2011

Yeah, if you're with a reputable, established company, it probably wouldn't at all be the shady hell you're imagining. And if it's too much for you, you can always quit. Also, if you're really lucky, you can hook up with Barbara Stanwyck and murder her husband for the insurance money. Edward G. Robinson probably won't catch on.

Again, don't get too discouraged. You're getting interviews, even if they don't pan out. That's actually a really good sign.

Sigma-X
Jun 17, 2005

Benny the Snake posted:

As for why I only applied to one booth over at the job fair it's because, well, I know I'm not fit to sell insurance. Selling insurance to me is a lot like selling used cars as I'd be working on a commission to sell people what they can't afford. I'm too honest comfortable to do so.

Fixed that for you. Glad to hear that you are not pursuing reasonable job opportunities and instead are applying to roundtable pizza (which is of course something that people need and is therefore reasonably priced in comparison to insurance).

You are applying to incredibly close jobs that you are overqualified for on paper and ignoring job opportunities that might pay more than minimum wage because you do not really want a job, because you are comfortable with your lifestyle where you can like you have so many real problems (OMG guys my MOM is so mean she doesn't like us watching tits. Did I mention she buys the groceries and pays the rent?) that you are therefore exempt from needing to actually bust your rear end.

reflex
Aug 9, 2009

I'd rather laugh with the mudders than cry with the saints. The mudders are much more fun. Hoorah.
OP how can you know you won't fit into a job you've never had, don't know anything about, and don't even apply for? You based your entire view on nothing but maybe-it'll-be-like-this. Your self-defeating attitude is incredible. Maybe you could actually be really good at it, but welp, you have too much pride to get a job. There obviously isn't a fire under your rear end so enjoy living with your parents until you make another thread when you hit 30 about how you're so fed up with them but only enough to complain about it on the internet :qq::qq:.

For Christ's sake, you should be sending out an absolute minimum of five resume and cover letters a day instead of going to be a job fair pretending you're too good for everyone there. Guess what? Everybody has to pay their dues at a lovely job that he doesn't want to be doing. That's how employers know you're not a poo poo heel. Companies hire people to do work, not to feel fulfilled and have warm fuzzies at the end of the day.

Sunshine89
Nov 22, 2009
Is there a Walmart or a supermarket near you? They hire all the time. It's coming up to garden centre season so they'll be hiring. Apply for seasonal and permanent, and if you can't get permanent, ask to learn cash or power equipment so you can step up when somebody quits.

It may not be glamourous, but it'll get you some money and fill 15-20 hours at least.

Carlos Spicywiener
Sep 8, 2011

Moustache fart.

Benny the Snake posted:

As for why I only applied to one booth over at the job fair it's because

It's because a job is obviously not that important to you. Pull that head outta your rear end and apply for any and everything short of selling your body.

gently caress other people, help yourself first. THEN help others.

fuck the ROW
Aug 29, 2008

by zen death robot
OP it's not just your family that is toxic, you sound incredibly toxic yourself. Try something: just leave. It will be better for you, and one less mouth (and no doubt pretty plump gullet) to feed for your poor parents. You have legs, just walk off. If you starve in a ditch somewhere, maybe that is what was meant to happen. Or keep milking this thread for attention while rationalizing your failures, I guess.

CountingCrows
Apr 17, 2001
So goons, is the job market in good o'l America really this dismal? Or does OP give off vibes of "Hahahah, yeah right" whenever someone considers him for even the most menial low skilled job?

I don't wanna be an rear end, but I'd imagine I could get a minimum wage job at McDonald's or a supermarket within a month without that much difficulty. Is this really not true?

ClemenSalad
Oct 25, 2012

by Lowtax

CountingCrows posted:

So goons, is the job market in good o'l America really this dismal?

No its really, really overexaggerated. There is literally zero reason why the OP can't get a min wage job somewhere. But remember, hes "above" warehouse work, and selling insurance for some reason.

cucurbit
Feb 23, 2009

ClemenSalad posted:

No its really, really overexaggerated. There is literally zero reason why the OP can't get a min wage job somewhere. But remember, hes "above" warehouse work, and selling insurance for some reason.

And AmeriCorps, the military, Peace Corps and National Core[sic]. I'm pretty sure he just doesn't want to move or have a sales-dependent job, and it's kind of hard to be sympathetic to someone who won't do either in order to not burden his parents.

razorrozar posted:

Pay no attention to ClemenSalad. Yes, it's abysmal. There are a lot more unemployed than there are jobs, and turnover is not nearly as high as fuckheads keep claiming it is. I personally know 35 year olds with a bachelor's degree that have worked in fast food for three years because they're goddamn terrified that they will be unable to feed their families.

Yeah, this is a more accurate description of how the American economy is now, but for the OP, he doesn't have dependents and while he isn't just farting around and is working toward employment, writing things off that could gainfully employ him and get him out of his hosed up house isn't all that reasonable (I'm talking more toward working insurance or moving away from his hometown, less Peace Corps and military, those aren't for everyone but shouldn't be totally crossed off the list).

I think my frustration with the OP is that I've lived in 5 states in the past 4 years in order to stay employed, and while it can be inconvenient and hard at times, it's given me a wealth of experience that I really value, good and bad alike, and it's almost mandatory to do this when you're young and underemployed these days.

cucurbit fucked around with this message at 14:02 on Mar 16, 2013

razorrozar
Feb 21, 2012

by Cyrano4747

CountingCrows posted:

So goons, is the job market in good o'l America really this dismal? Or does OP give off vibes of "Hahahah, yeah right" whenever someone considers him for even the most menial low skilled job?

I don't wanna be an rear end, but I'd imagine I could get a minimum wage job at McDonald's or a supermarket within a month without that much difficulty. Is this really not true?

Pay no attention to ClemenSalad. Yes, it's abysmal. There are a lot more unemployed than there are jobs, and turnover is not nearly as high as fuckheads keep claiming it is. I personally know 35 year olds with a bachelor's degree that have worked in fast food for three years because they're goddamn terrified that they will be unable to feed their families.

CountingCrows
Apr 17, 2001

razorrozar posted:

Pay no attention to ClemenSalad. Yes, it's abysmal. There are a lot more unemployed than there are jobs, and turnover is not nearly as high as fuckheads keep claiming it is. I personally know 35 year olds with a bachelor's degree that have worked in fast food for three years because they're goddamn terrified that they will be unable to feed their families.

I understand that this is the reality of the situation, but OP is not supporting a family. And your friends have fast food jobs.

Is it so bad that a regular dude can't get a fast food job over 3 months of trying?

I guess what I'm trying to say, is I suspect OP is looking for a 40k/year job (where, like you said, the unemployment rate is hitting the hardest, keeping your friends tragically underemployed) but essentially bullshitting the thread about how hard he's working to get a job at Burger King, because even though Mommy is mean, he's living a drat comfortable life.

CountingCrows fucked around with this message at 14:16 on Mar 16, 2013

HelloIAmYourHeart
Dec 29, 2008
Fallen Rib

Sunshine89 posted:

Is there a Walmart or a supermarket near you? They hire all the time. It's coming up to garden centre season so they'll be hiring. Apply for seasonal and permanent, and if you can't get permanent, ask to learn cash or power equipment so you can step up when somebody quits.

It may not be glamourous, but it'll get you some money and fill 15-20 hours at least.

Any sort of hardware store with gardening stuff will also be swamped as spring starts, ESPECIALLY if they have any kind of spring promotional sales (2 for 1 hanging baskets, etc).

You might have to lift a lot of bags of mulch and stuff though, it might be kind of dirty and sweaty for your tastes.

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docbeard
Jul 19, 2011

OP, while you probably shouldn't listen to the people here who seem to think that you can just wander into a McDonalds and order an Extra Value Meal #5 with a side order of part-time employment (though it could be worth trying this if you can play it cool, you might well end up dealing with a sympathetic manager with a sense of humor), you absolutely should stop looking for reasons why any given job you do apply for wouldn't be a good fit, or wouldn't take you anyway, or whatever.

You lose nothing but a little bit of time (which, while not being a renewable resource, is one thing you're rich on at the moment) by applying for things, even things you don't think you have a shot at, or wouldn't want to do. If you have questions about what you might be asked to do, bring them up during the interview. (And if you don't get an interview, then it really doesn't matter.) Be careful with this, you'll torpedo your chances if you come across all holier-than-thou or accuse, say, an insurance agency of being a hive of scum and villainy, but absolutely ask questions about the job, the way the market you're in works, and so forth. Showing an active interest in what you're applying for can only lead to good things. Job interviews aren't just about them finding out whether you're suitable to hire, they're about you finding out whether the job's a good fit for you too.

And those campaigns you were thinking about applying to work for? DO THIS. Especially if it could be a paying gig (but even if it's not, it's something to keep you busy, and more networking opportunities). You've actually got connections in this field now. USE THEM.

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